Buoyant elements for apparatus for raising submerged vessels

ABSTRACT

Buoyant elements for apparatus for raising submerged vessels comprise hollow apertured spheres of light weight material impervious to air and water provided with means which hinder or prevent the entrance of water into the elements when external pressure exceeds the internal pressure in the spheres conveyed from a pressure equalizing chamber into the sunken vessel, and facilitate passage of water out of the elements when internal pressure exceeds external pressure. The constructions include hollow spheres each provided with an aperture; one modification including a weighted area surrounding the aperture, another including a weighted tube communicating with the aperture and with the interior of the sphere, and another including a long tube communicating with the aperture and with the interior of the sphere for free passage of air and difficult passage of water through the tube.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Lewis A. Hayden;

Jim D. Hclbig, Brighton; Hugh G. Shepherd. Jr.. Denver all 01(010. [21] Appl. No. 811,882 [22] Filed Apr. 1, 1969 [45] Patented June 1,1971 [73] Assignee to said Helhig and to said Cycle Manufacturing Company, a part interest to each.

[54] BUOYANT ELEMENTS FOR APPARATUS FOR RAISING SUBMERGED VESSELS 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 114/52 1163c 7/04 [50] Field of Search 114/52, 53

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 148,333 3/1874 Sowerbutts 114/53 934,838 9/1909 Reinier 114/53 Primary Examiner-Andrew H. Farrell Attorney-Bertha L. Mac Gregor ABSTRACT: Buoyant elements for apparatus for raising submerged vessels comprise hollow apertured spheres of light weight material impervious to air and water provided with means which hinder or prevent the entrance of water into the elements when external pressure exceeds the internal pressure in the spheres conveyed from a pressure equalizing chamber into the sunken vessel, and facilitate passage of water out of the elements when internal pressure exceeds external pressure. The constructions include hollow spheres each provided with an aperture; one modification including a weighted area surrounding the aperture, another including a weighted area surrounding the aperture, another including a weighted tube communicating with the aperture and with the interior of the sphere, and another including a long tube communicating with the aperture and with the interior of the sphere for free passage of air and difficult passage of water through the tube.

PATENTEDJUH an IN VENTORS. LEWIS A. HAYDEN JIM D. HELBIG HUGH G. SHEPHERD, JR. M

ATTORNEY This invention relates to buoyant elements used in apparatus for raising submerged vessels. One embodiment of the apparatus for raising submerged vessels has been shown and described in the US. Pat. No. 3,303,808, to Jim D. Helbig dated Feb. 14, 1967. The apparatus of said patent includes a plurality of buoyant hollow elements in the form of spheres, having walls impervious to air and water, each provided with a very small aperture through which air passes automatically into the element when the air pressure is greater externally than internally of the elements, and passes automatically out of the elements when the pressure is greater internally than externally of the elements, but through which water cannot pass when pressures internal and external of the elements are substantially equal. The patented apparatus also comprised a walled pressure chamber containing said hollow elements and air pressurized to a predetermined pressure at least equal to the water pressure at the depth of the submerged vessel to be raised for automatically causing said pressurized air to pass into the buoyant elements through said apertures until their internal and external pressures are approximately equal.

Although not limited as to size, the valveless spheres or balls heretofore used were relatively small, of the size such as pingpong balls, for example, consisting of hollow casings of plastic or other suitable material provided with one or more very small apertures designed to permit passage of air into and out of the balls and to prevent water from entering as described in said patent.

Under some conditions, the internal and external pressures affecting the balls employed as buoyant elements may vary after the elements have passed from the walled pressure equalizing chamber of my apparatus into the submerged vessel. Such variation of pressures may result from winds and tides which alter the depth of the water above the submerged vessel and consequently cause variations in the external pressures to which the buoyant elements are subjected in the submerged vessel. Such variation in the external pressure may cause water to enter the elements and to render them less effective for raising the submerged vessel, The presence of water in the buoyant elements also renders them useless for reuse after the vessel has been raised, and this is an important factor when buoyant elements substantially larger than the ping-pong sized balls of my aforementioned patent are employed in the vessel raising procedure.

The main object of this invention, therefore, is to provide buoyant elements constructed to obviate the difficulty encountered when water enters the elements while being conveyed into the sunken vessel. The constructions herein shown and described hinder or prevent the entrance of water into the elements and facilitate passage of water out of the elements in the event limited quantities enter due to greater external pressure as compared to internal pressure in the elements.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of a buoyant element for apparatus for raising submerged vessels, embodying my invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a modification of the buoyant element.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing another modification of the invention.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the buoyant elements is a sphere 10, of plastic or other light weight material, provided with an aperture 11 which extends through a thickened area 12 of the spherical wall 13. The area 12 may be weighted by increasing the thickness of the spherical wall 13 to the extent required to keep the aperture 11 in the lowermost part of the sphere when immersed in water. Other weight increasing means applied to the area surrounding theaperture 11 may be employed in place of the gradually thickened area 12.

The location of the aperture 11 in the lowermost part of the sphere l0 and the maintaining of the sphere in the position shown by means of the weighed area 12 functions to limit intake of water 14 when pressure externally of the sphere 10 is greater than the internal pressure, and also functions to force the water 14 out of the sphere when the air above the water seeks to pass out of the sphere due to increased internal pressure as compared to external pressure.

In the modification shown in FIG. 2, the buoyant element 15 is a sphere provided with an aperture 16 in its spherical wall 17 which is of uniform thickness. A tube 18 has its upper end 19 attached to the inner surface of the wall 17 to communicate with the aperture 16. The opposite end of the tube 18 is weighted by means 20 and 21 in such manner that the lower open end 22 of the tube channel communicates with the in' terior of the sphere 15. If any water 23 enters the sphere 15 when the pressure externally of the sphere exceeds the internal pressure, it will be forced out of the sphere as soon as the internal pressure exceeds the external pressure. Weighting of the tube 18 by the means 20, 21 maintains the tube in a position wherein the water 23, if any, surrounds the tube end 22, and is drawn out of the sphere before air can pass out through the tube 18.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the sphere 25 is provided with an aperture 26 in the wall 27 which may be of uniform thickness. A long tube 28 has an end 29 fastened to the inner surface of the wall 27 surrounding the aperture 26. The tube 28 has an opposite end 30 which communicates with the interior of the sphere 25. In this embodiment, the length, size and material of the tube 28 will cause relatively easy flow of air through the tube and difficult flow of water therethrough, due to the friction of the water in the tube, adhesion of the water to the sides of the tube and cohesion of the water to itself.

Depending on the length of the tube 18 of the construction shown in FIG. 2, said tube also functions to permit easy flow of air and difficult flow of water therethrough, as does the long tube of FIG. 3, but the unweighted tube of FIG. 3 does not function to maintain the sphere in a predetermined position as does the weighted tube 18.

We claim:

I. A buoyant element for apparatus for raising submerged vessels comprising a. a hollow sphere of material impervious to air and water provided with an aperture through which air passes automatically into the element when the air pressure is greater externally than internally of the element and passes automatically out of the element when the pressure is greater internally than externally of the element but through which water cannot pass when pressures internal and external are substantially equal, and

b. means in the sphere which automatically hinder or prevent the entrance of water into the element when ex ternal pressure exceeds the internal pressure in the sphere while it is immersed in water.

2. The buoyant element defined by claim 1, in which the sphere is weighted in the area surrounding the aperture whereby the aperture is maintained in the lowermost area of the sphere while immersed in water.

3. The buoyant element defined by claim 1, in which the means in the sphere which hinder or prevent the entrance of water into the element is a tube which communicates with the aperture at one end and has a free end communicating with the interior of the sphere.

4. The buoyant element defined by claim 3, in which the free end of the tube is weighted, whereby said weighted end is located in the lowermost part of the sphere when immersed in water.

5. The buoyant element defined by claim 3, in which the tube is elongated to cause easy flow of air through the tube and difficult flow of water therethrough due to the friction of water in the tube, adhesion of the water to the sides of the tube and cohesion of the water to itself. 

1. A buoyant element for apparatus for raising submerged vessels comprising a. a hollow sphere of material impervious to air and water provided with an aperture through which air passes automatically into the element when the air pressure is greater exteRnally than internally of the element and passes automatically out of the element when the pressure is greater internally than externally of the element but through which water cannot pass when pressures internal and external are substantially equal, and b. means in the sphere which automatically hinder or prevent the entrance of water into the element when external pressure exceeds the internal pressure in the sphere while it is immersed in water.
 2. The buoyant element defined by claim 1, in which the sphere is weighted in the area surrounding the aperture whereby the aperture is maintained in the lowermost area of the sphere while immersed in water.
 3. The buoyant element defined by claim 1, in which the means in the sphere which hinder or prevent the entrance of water into the element is a tube which communicates with the aperture at one end and has a free end communicating with the interior of the sphere.
 4. The buoyant element defined by claim 3, in which the free end of the tube is weighted, whereby said weighted end is located in the lowermost part of the sphere when immersed in water.
 5. The buoyant element defined by claim 3, in which the tube is elongated to cause easy flow of air through the tube and difficult flow of water therethrough due to the friction of water in the tube, adhesion of the water to the sides of the tube and cohesion of the water to itself. 